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7So what did the hipster-about-town listen to their favourite grooves on in the mid 1960’s? Well if it was an Akai amplifier it almost certainly was the AA-5000, and especially so if they were into Reel-to-Reel.
From the decade that birthed component HiFi and witnessed the transition from the tube to the transistor these units were manufactured between 1966 to 1969 and were Akai’s mainstay amplifier for this period. The more commonly found AA-5000S was a later version that extended the product lifecycle into the mid 1970s. Featuring an enormous (for the 1960s) 110W of Music Power and incorporating channel independent bass and treble controls, high and low filters as well as some advanced alien hi-tech thing called a ‘Electronics Protection Circuit’ to protect those precious transistors fresh from the Roswell crash in New Mexico……Yep! These units are definitely groovy in far-out happening ways!
Many believe transistors appeared on the market a little too quickly to be of Earthly origin but German research into semiconductors had been going on for decades before the Roswell Crash.
As can be seen this fine specimen is in absolutely stunning condition and possibly one of the best example of one of these models available today. Even the power light globe appears to be original! There are some very light marks on the lid of the unit consistent with light use and a tiny piece of veneer is missing from the front right, but as can been seen in the above pictures these are hardly noticeable.
The sound is bright with surprising punch yet still retains that mellow valve like timbre with a surprising amount of power for 1960s amplifier. While it won’t blow your ceiling off like a 1970s Monster, matched with the right pair of speakers this unit performs beautifully.
I have noticed that this model is very sensitive to speaker cable lengths and quality, so if you do get one make sure you get some high-quality speaker cables of equal lengths.
Features:
Silicon Power Transistors for the final stage obtainable highest performance and temperature characteristics- E.P.C (Electronics Protection Circuit), protecting the power transistors from damage in case of short circuit at the output terminals
- Completely O.T.L. System Distortion Free well dampened reproduction
- 110W Music Power
- Direct reproduction from the tape head by equaliser for head
- DIN Jack
- Headphone Jack
- Independent filters for high and low
- Independent tone control for right and left speakers
- Dimensions: 17″ (W) x 5-3/8″ (H) x 10-5/8″ (D)
- Weight: 17.6 lbs
Posted In: Amplifiers, Featured